


This Time

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Good Boyfriend Theo Raeken, Good Theo Raeken, Happy Derek Hale, Hurt Theo Raeken, Leaving Home, Liam Leaves Beacon Hills, M/M, Road Trips, Sad Liam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 12:26:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14832242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: By all accounts Liam should be happy. He has a great life. He has his family, his pack, Theo. Yet he still has a weight on his shoulders and a darkness clouding his mind that he just can't escape. He decides to leave, thinking that time away from Beacon Hills will help him find a way to be happy. It's not easy, he's leaving behind his family and pack and the one person that had brought a little bit of light to his darkness. Somewhere along the way he finds Derek and meets new friends that are able to help him work towards his goal.





	This Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sofiaaaaa](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofiaaaaa/gifts).



> This is a late birthday fic for the amazing Sofia. Love you! Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy it.  
> I had part of this written as a part of Lean On Me but decided to save people the pain and wrote it as a one shot instead. It got a bit away from me though.  
> Title is from [This Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_935jOCyys) By Mest  
> Also used in this fic:  
> [Can't Take This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN7bOFLZmSM) by Mest  
> [Take Me Back](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFIIra1tzoA) by The Wind and the Wave

By all accounts Liam should be happy. He has a great life. He has his family, his pack, _Theo_. The last one was more recent. After months of dancing around each other they’d finally admitted there was something between them. To Liam’s surprise Theo had been the one to say something first. He can remember that night clearly. The night everything had changed.

***

_“This is fucking stupid,” Liam mutters to himself, tugging at his hair until it’s standing on end. He hates that he’s locked up in the house right now while the pack is out chasing after the witch that’s running through Beacon Hills wreaking havoc. But the pack had insisted. They didn’t think it was a good idea for him to be out there since the witch seems to have it in for Liam. Hence Liam pacing around his room while Theo looks on._

_“What’s going on with you?” Theo asks, his carefully calm demeanor slipping, clearly affected by how on edge Liam is._

_“Nothing!” Liam mutters, turning to face Theo._

_“Don’t lie to me,” Theo says, “It’s clear that something is going on. If this is about the witch...”_

_Liam strides forward until he’s standing right in front of Theo, his hands in fists at his side, “Why do you care?”_

_Theo stares at Liam for a moment, eyes moving across his face before he takes a deep breath and speaks, “Because you are my life, and if anything bad ever happened to you, I’d go out of my mind.”_

_“What?” Liam whispers, “What does that mean?”_

_“I’d say it’s pretty obvious,” Theo says._

_“Pretend that it’s not,” Liam says. He has a feeling what Theo is talking about but he doesn’t want to jump to conclusions. He needs to hear Theo say the words._

_“It means that I’m in love with you, you idiot,” Theo says, “I love you so much that it hurts. Especially when you want to go out and risk your life like you so often do.”_

_Liam’s brain momentarily short circuits, all words leaving him. So he does the only thing he can think of, he closes the remaining space between them and kisses Theo. The kiss is rough and demanding, Liam attempting to put everything he’s feeling into the kiss. At least until Theo grips his hair and pulls away, his lips close enough to brush against Liam’s when he speaks, “Slow down Little Wolf.”_

_“I thought you wanted me,” Liam says, leaning in and attempting to kiss Theo again. He growls out Theo’s name when the chimera pulls further away from him with a laugh._

_“I do want you,” Theo tells him, “But forgive me for being confused since I’m still not sure what **you**_ _want.”_

_“I’d say it’s pretty obvious,” Liam says, repeating Theo’s earlier words back to him._

_Theo’s lips twitch up into an amused smile, “Pretend that it’s not.”_

_Liam rolls his eyes, brushing their noses together, “I love you too. I have for a while. Now can we please get back to kissing?”_

_“You’re killing me with the romance here Li,” Theo jokes but snakes his arms around Liam’s waist to pull him closer. “Seriously, you’re horrible at wooing.”_

_“Yet you love me anyway.”_

_“Yeah,” Theo smiles, brushing their noses together, “I do.”_

***

That had been 5 months ago. Liam has to admit that these past few months have been some of the best of his life. But he also can’t deny the darkness that has been clouding over his thoughts and making it hard for him to be happy. He hates it. He loves Theo. They’re finally together, and he’s too screwed up to really appreciate it. Which is why he has to do this.

Liam’s heart breaks as he looks down at Theo’s sleeping form. He’s battled with this decision for a while but he can’t see any other way. He’s broken. He’s messed up. He’s drowning and keeps pulling everyone under with him in his effort to survive. The people he cares about deserve better, especially Theo. Theo has worked so hard to get better. He doesn’t deserve to have Liam dragging him back down.

With a heavy heart Liam places the note he wrote for Theo explaining why he has to leave on his pillow and grabs his bag off the floor. He can’t resist the urge to lean down and kiss Theo one last time, his lips barely brushing Theo’s but it’s enough. He takes one last look and heads for the bedroom door.

“You weren’t even going to say goodbye?” Theo’s voice halts Liam in his tracks, “after everything you were just going to up and leave?”

Liam closes his eyes against the storm of emotions he’s feeling. “I couldn’t.”

There’s rustling behind Liam followed by the sound of light footsteps. They stop a short distance away, as if Theo is afraid to get too close, “Why not?”

“Because,” Liam says, voice thick with the tears he’s holding back.

“Because why Liam? Come on, you were about to just walk out of here without as much as a goodbye. The least you could do is look at me.”

Liam knows he owes it to Theo. He’s also afraid that if he turns and looks at him he’ll never be able to walk out the door. He does it anyway, feeling his chest constrict at the sad look in Theo’s eyes. He put that there.

“I knew if I had to say goodbye to you and see your face like it is now I’d never be able to walk out that door. But Theo, I _need_ to. I’m no good for anyone right now. You deserve better. I need to figure my shit out, alone. I can’t ask you to wait for me…”

“I will,” Theo says, voice breaking on the words, “Liam I will always wait for you. I hate that you’re going. I wish you wouldn't. But I get it. You go and figure out what you need to. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”

Liam can’t stop the sob from escaping. He surges forward and claims Theo’s lips in a desperate kiss, putting everything he has into it. He wants to savor it, not knowing when he’ll be able to do this again.

He pulls away, backing towards the door. Liam watches as Theo slowly opens his eyes, tracking Liam’s movement as Liam wills himself to go, “I love you. Always.”

There’s a resolve in Theo’s eyes that Liam hates as he gives Liam a sad smile, “I love you too.”

Liam’s feet feel like lead as he walks out of the room and away from Theo. Each step is harder to take. Part of him is screaming at him to turn around and go back. He doesn’t. He can’t. He throws his bag into the car, glancing up at the house to see Theo watching him from the window.

Liam has to look away. He can’t bear to see the look on Theo’s face as he drives away. It would kill him. Liam makes it a few blocks before he has to pull over, sobs racking his body and making his vision blurry. After a while he angrily wipes at his eyes, puts the car into drive, and leaves Beacon Hills and everything that matters to him behind.

_I can't stand another day without you_   
_But I have to walk away_   
_Infatuation’s got me going crazy_   
_Desperation makes me stay_   
_I'm leaving this behind_

Liam isn’t sure how long he drives, but by the time he finally has to stop for gas the sun is starting to peek over the horizon. He stops for a moment, allowing himself to watch it and take it all in. There’s not much around so he has the perfect view. Then he finds himself wondering if Theo is awake and watching it and has to shake himself out of it. He can’t go there. Leaving had been heard enough.

He’d said goodbye to his parents the night before while Theo had been out getting dinner. They hadn’t been happy, especially since he sprung it on them so suddenly, but they’d accepted it after he explained how much he needed to get away. His Mom had been worried about Theo, wondering how Liam planned to tell him. At the time he hadn’t known. She’d just asked him to do it gently, and promised to look after Theo while Liam was away.

It makes it a little easier on Liam knowing that Theo isn’t going to be alone. He has Liam’s parents and Mason, Corey, and Nolan. Liam feels a little guilty about not telling Mason in person. But he couldn’t do it. He’d left a letter for him with his Mom and made her promise to give it to him. He expects he’ll probably be getting a very pissed off text from Mason later once he’s read the letter. The two of them rarely keep things from each other so for Liam to just up and leave…

Liam sighs, replacing the nozzle and his gas cap before getting back in the car. He needs to get back on the road. He still has no idea where he’s going. He’s basically just been driving. Hell he doesn’t even know what state he is in anymore. Liam shields his eyes against the rising sun and looks at the passing license plates. _Oregon_. He’s in fucking Oregon of all places. And probably pretty far into Oregon.

He supposes that’s not terrible. Oregon isn’t a bad place. He remembers coming up to Cannon Beach for a vacation with his Mom when he was younger, right after his Dad left. It had been a nice trip. He’s often thought of coming back. Apparently his subconscious has decided now is as good a time as any.

Liam gets in the car and pulls up his GPS, typing in Cannon Beach. He’s pleased when he sees he only has about another hour to go before he gets there. He’ll be able to get some breakfast and enjoy the early morning on the beach before finding a place to stay.

It’s mid-January so the streets and beach are all but deserted when Liam drives into town. Liam parks his car and walks down to the beach. He wanders halfway down the beach until he has a good view of Haystack Rock. Then he sits and watches as the waves come in. The Tufted Puffins are out on Haystack rock. He remembers when he came here with his Mom and had been so fascinated by them. Everything about this place had seemed so magical. He has to admit that even now that he’s older and fully aware of the reality of magic that this place still has a special feeling to it. It has its own kind of magic, one that isn’t dark or dangerous but simply pure and bright and welcoming but also leaving room for an air of mystery.

Liam slips off his shoes and socks and walks down the beach towards the ocean. He dips a toe in the water hesitantly, sucking in a harsh breath and retrieving his foot as soon as he the water touches his skin. He’s not sure why he’s surprised the water is freezing. It is January after all and it’s only in the high 40’s right now. He’s just glad he thought to pack a jacket and some warmer clothes when he decided to leave.

He walks along the beach, shoes and socks in hand, the cool morning breeze blowing against his skin. It’s nice. He can’t remember the last time he felt weather like this in Beacon Hills. He knows to anyone else it would be chilly but thanks to his being a werewolf Liam doesn’t notice as much.

It’s nice being out here like this. There’s no one on the beach except him at the moment, it being too early and chilly for humans to really enjoy the beach. He supposes that should make him feel lonely, and it probably would if he really thought about it, but he doesn’t. He lets himself enjoy the view and the solitude.

After a while he walks back up to the sidewalk, dusts off his feet and puts his socks and shoes back on. He looks toward the beach again before heading back to his car. He needs to find a hotel if he’s going to stay here. He’s just glad his parents were kind enough to leave him some money in his bank account. Otherwise he’d be sleeping in his car. Not that that would be all bad. It’s just not ideal. Not when he’s exhausted and wants to sleep for a while.

Liam gets a room at the Wayside Inn. It’s only a short walk from the beach and haystack rock and has a great view of the ocean so it’s perfect. Plus it didn’t cost him a ridiculous amount to get a room.

Liam spends a week at Cannon Beach. He wakes up early every morning and watches the sunrise and then spends the evening on the balcony of his room watching the sun set over the water. It’s those moments that his mind drifts to Theo. He knows Theo would love this. Sure, he’d say it was sappy but Liam has no doubt he’d enjoy it.

Liam sighs, resting his head back against the wall behind him. He misses Theo. He misses their bantering, Theo’s cocky smirk, the way his eyes crinkle in the corner when he smiles, the way he kisses Liam and holds him in his arms and makes him feel safe.

Liam pulls out his phone, turning it on for the first time since he left. He’s been trying to avoid it, not wanting to deal with the fallout of him leaving. He knows it’s selfish and just a bit immature but if he had seen even one text or call from Theo when he first got here he would have had a hard time not getting in the car and driving right back to Beacon Hills and Theo’s arms.

His phone starts going crazy with texts, missed calls, Facebook messages, and even snaps coming through. He opens up his messages, unsurprised to see a lot of them are from Mason. The first few are Mason angrily telling Liam off for leaving without saying anything. One of the last ones makes his throat close up, guilt eating him up as he reads over the words, “We all know why you left Liam. But I hope you realize how torn up Theo is. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s miserable without you here bro. He looks like someone took away his sunshine or some shit. I’m not trying to make you feel bad, but I just thought you should know.”

He’s surprised when he only has one text from Theo, “I’m not asking you to come back. Just know that I love you and I miss you. I hope you find what you’re looking for. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Liam’s fingers hover over the text box. He wants to respond but he’s not sure what he can say. He doesn’t want to make excuses. He already told Theo why he had to leave. But the thought of not responding is worse. He knows that if the roles were reversed he’d at least want to hear from Theo and know he was alright.

“I miss you T,” Liam writes, “So much. Sunsets aren’t the same without you. I love you.”

He hits send, watching as the message moves from sent to delivered to read. He sits there staring at the phone until it’s dark but another message never comes. He’s not sure if he was really expecting one.

Liam goes back to his messages and opens the one from his Mom and types out a quick response telling her that he’s alright. His Mom texts back immediately telling him that she loves and misses him and to stay safe and have fun. He smiles as he reads over the words. He pulls up one of the pictures he took of the sunset tonight and sends it to her. He knows it’s a risk, letting her know where he is means that someone can track him down if they need to. But he needs her to know where he is and that he’s okay.

“Cannon Beach!” Jenna texts back, “Oh I miss it there. Take lots of pictures sweetheart. And bring me back a t-shirt.”

Liam chuckles, of course she’d ask for a t-shirt. His Mom has this obsession with getting shirts from everywhere she or someone else visits if she can. Liam asked her why once and she just smiled, telling him it’s nice to have. He knows there’s more to it than that but he doesn’t question it. If his Mom’s weirdest habit is collecting t-shirts then he counts himself lucky.

Liam puts his phone down, his eyes moving to watch the waves crash against the beach and the way the moon reflects on the water. It’s not quite full but it’s getting there. Liam’s a little worried if he’s honest. This will be his first full moon without Theo, without his anchor, nearby.

He looks back at his phone when it pings, brow furrowing in confusion when he sees he has a text message from Stiles. It’s not that he doesn’t talk to Stiles, just not all that often.

“I think you’ll like it here,” the message reads and then there’s an address.

Liam puts the address into the maps on his phone and sees that the place is a little over 6 hours away from where he is now. It’s also a little bit closer to Beacon Hills. Liam doesn’t really have anything else planned after he leaves Cannon Beach so he has no reason not to go. And it’s not like he thinks Stiles would purposefully send him someplace dangerous.

“It’s creepy that you know where I am,” Liam sends back.

“I knew the moment you turned on your phone man,” Stiles puts back, “I tracked your phone.”

“Still creepy,” Liam replies.

“We were all worried. Just go to the address. I think it’ll be good for you.”

Liam frowns at Stiles’ response. What could possibly be in Ashland, Oregon that would be so good for him?

“If I get killed I’m going back to haunt you,” Liam sends back.

Stiles’ response is immediate, “You won’t. Not unless eyebrows can kill.”

_What?_ Liam thinks, _what the hell does that mean?_

Stiles really has lost his mind.

***

_I left home, then broke down_   
_In a town called Misery_   
_Surrender, I'll never be what I want to be_   
_No one believes in me_   
_No one sees what I see_   
_Should I just erase this all from my memory?_

Liam still leaves the next morning after getting his Mom a shirt, setting course for the address Stiles gave him. It takes him almost 7 hours to get there when he stops for gas and gets something to eat. Liam’s confusion grows when he finds himself driving out into the woods. Maybe Stiles is leading him off to get murdered. Or…

Liam’s heart starts racing. Maybe this is a way to get him secluded and corned. Maybe he’s going to get there and the pack and his parents will be waiting to drag him back to Beacon Hills. But that’s ridiculous. His parents and Theo have been understanding about Liam leaving, Mason too once he got over his initial anger. Unless that was all a lie.

It’s too late now though. He’s come this far and he’s not about to turn back. His hands tightly grip the steering wheel as he keeps driving. It’s another mile before he pulls up outside of decently sized cabin. Liam’s confusion grows as he gets out of the car, taking in the familiar car he sees parked out front. He feels like he knows it and the scent that is lingering outside.

Liam makes his way up the steps, raising his hand to knock when the door swings open. _Ah,_ Liam thinks, _of course Stiles would send me here. Where else?_

Liam watches as a mix of emotions move across Derek’s face too fast for him to really see what they are, before finally settling on confusion. Liam can understand that one. He did just show up here out of the blue.

“Liam?”

“Hey Derek,” Liam says, giving an awkward wave, “Fancy seeing you here.”

Liam wants to smack himself. _Fancy seeing you here? This is his house, you moron._

Derek raises an eyebrow at him, “I live here.”

Liam sighs, “I know that. I just… I’m not sure what to say.”

“How about starting with why you’re here?” Derek says, “And how you found me.”

“The first, I don’t know,” Liam says, rubbing the back of his neck, “I didn’t really… look can I come in please? This would be easier when I’m not standing on your porch feeling like an intruder.”

Derek kindly does not point out that Liam kind of is intruding. Instead he steps aside and allows Liam to enter the house. He closes the door and gestures to their left where Liam is able to see a decent sized living room filled with a comfortable looking couch, a couple armchairs, a few tables, a flat screen TV, and even a throw rug.

Liam doesn’t know where Derek learned to decorate since he clearly didn’t have a knack for it back in Beacon Hills. Then again he never really had a proper home after he came back either. He apparently does now.

“Is something wrong back in Beacon Hills?” Derek asks, breaking Liam out of his thoughts.

“No,” Liam mutters, falling back onto the couch, “Not with the town. Everything has been great. Nice and peaceful. It’s me that’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?” Derek asks, taking a seat next to Liam on the couch.

“I’m not okay,” Liam says, surprised at how easy the words come, “I haven’t been for a while. It wasn’t until I started dating Theo that I realized just how not okay I am. And that’s not… it’s not because of him. It just took me seeing how happy he is after having to work so hard to get to a good place that I realized we’re not exactly in the same place. He’s had to fight his way out of his darkness while I’m still trapped in my own, and I know it’s not the same but I still can’t be with him when I’m like this. I won’t be the one that drags him back down.”

“So you decided to leave,” Derek says and Liam nods. “And you came here?”

“I went to Cannon Beach first,” Liam tells him, “I went there with my Mom once when I was a kid and remember liking it. It seemed like a nice place to get away to. And then I got this cryptic message from Stiles with an address. I didn’t even know it was your place until you opened the door.”

“Of course Stiles would send you here,” Derek says, his lips moving up into an amused but fond smile, “He must think if anyone can understand your situation it’s me.”

“And why is that?” Liam asks.

“I left because I knew I needed to get better, for myself and because I knew Stiles deserved someone that was whole and happy and not carrying around all the pain and misery I was,” Derek tells him, “Stiles probably figured if anyone could understand how you were feeling it would be me.”

Liam nods, “So did it work? Leaving to make yourself better?”

Derek is silent for a moment, a look of contemplation on his face, “I think so. I feel better and more at ease here than I ever did in Beacon Hills. It’s helped being in such a small town. Everyone knows each other but they all respect each other’s privacy. But I’ll tell you something, as at peace and happy as I’ve been here I never really felt whole until I decided to let myself have the one thing I’d been denying myself for years.”

“Stiles?”

Derek nods, “Yeah. And just letting myself love someone and giving them the opportunity to love me back. That’s not something I ever thought I’d be able to do. Sure, I was able to leave and find my own happiness but that also allowed me to accept that it’s okay for me to want to share that with someone else.”

“Do you think I can do that?” Liam asks, trying to fight against the surge of hope building in his chest. He knows their situations are different, but surely if Derek can find a way to be happy after everything he has been through than so can Liam.

“I do,” Derek says, “I can’t promise it’ll be easy or quick but it’s not impossible Liam. And you’re more than welcome to stay here while you figure things out.”

Liam nods, giving Derek a grateful smile. He doesn’t know what he would have done if Derek had tried to send him away. Or worse, tried to convince him to go back to Beacon Hills. If this all works out Liam really is going to owe Stiles for getting him to come here.

He knows Derek is right and that the road to happiness won’t be as simple as being away from all the pain and darkness that Beacon Hills holds for him, but he’s willing to try and do whatever it takes to get there. He owes that to Theo, but more than anything he owes it to himself. He’s going to find a way out of his darkness, and then he’s going home. As selfish as it might be he just hopes that Theo will still be there waiting for him when he does.

***

The first week in Ashland Liam spends exploring and getting used to the area. There’s surprisingly a lot happening in the town despite its relatively small size. One of Liam’s favorite things to discover is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. There always seems to be a play happening there. He’s not ashamed that one day he spends the whole day there watching different plays. It’s surprisingly easy to get Derek to go with him. Derek apparently has a thing for plays, go figure.

Two weeks in Liam winds up going to ScienceWorks, the local hands on museum. It’s for kids but Liam still can’t help but look around in amazement. He wishes he would have had something like this around when he was a kid. It certainly would have helped to keep him focused, at least for a little bit. He spends time wandering around, taking in the exhibits while trying not to look like too much of a creep since he’s basically the only adult without a kid.

“Like what you see?” A female voice asks from beside him.

Liam looks over to see a young woman standing there, her hair pulled back and a unicorn clip in her hair. She also has a unicorn pin on her shirt and unicorn shoelaces. Something tells Liam it’s not all for the kids benefit.

“They don’t really have things like this where I live,” Liam tells her.

She nods, “We get that a lot. Where is it you’re from…?”

“Liam,” Liam says, holding out his hand for the girl to shake. She has a surprisingly strong grip for a human, “And I’m from a small town in California. The closest thing like this probably would have been hours away in one of the bigger cities.”

“Makes sense,” the girl says, “I’m Sofia, by the way. Resident unicorn lover and herder of kids in Discovery Island.”

“They all seem pretty well behaved,” Liam says, watching as some of the kids go running by.

“They know they need to be if they want to keep coming here,” Sofia says, “ScienceWorks doesn’t look too fondly on bullying and bad behavior. We of course have a strikes system. And kids can have the strike removed with good behavior.”

“Interesting. So these kids come here a lot?”

“They do,” Sofia tells him, “The town is small and it doesn’t cost a lot to get in if you have a pass, which most families do.”

“Are you hiring?” Liam finds himself blurting out.

He doesn’t know why. He hadn’t really planned to stay in Ashland for long when he arrived but he likes it here. He might as well try and work while he’s figuring his shit out.

“We actually are,” Sofia says.

She gestures at one of her co-workers before pointing down at her watch and then to door. The other woman rolls her eyes but nods, “You just took a break so don’t take too long Sofa.”

“Sofa?” Liam asks, following Sofia out of the room.

“It’s just what Sammy calls me,” Sofia tells him, “it’s hard to explain but I’m sure you’ll come to learn all of our weird habits.”

Liam is a little afraid to ask what those habits are so he doesn’t. He just continues to walk with Sofia down the hallway. She leads him into an office where another woman sits behind a desk. She looks from Sofia to Liam and sighs, “Don’t tell me someone is filing a complaint again.”

“That was one time!” Sofia says, “And he wants a job. So don’t scare him off.”

“From the looks of it he’s already scared,” the woman says and then smiles at Liam, “Hi, I’m Amanda. I’m the manager here. We’re an interesting little family, a little kooky sometimes but we don’t bite, hard.”

She winks and Liam finds himself laughing. Sure, they might be a little odd but who isn’t. If he wants to work here he’d rather work with people that are fun to be around than boring assholes.

“I think I can handle it,” Liam tells her.

“Good then let’s get your paperwork filled out and a name badge made,” Amanda says, turning in her chair and rifling through some of the papers on her desk.

“Wait, name badge?” Liam asks, “Don’t you want to like, interview me first?”

“Kid if you’re still willing to work here after all of this then we’d be crazy to let you leave,” Amanda says.

“Yeah we’ve had people run out screaming before,” Sofia says.

Liam is once again torn between wanting to know and wondering if he’s better off not knowing. Amanda is handing him some papers and gesturing to one of the other desk in the room, “Fill these out really quick. If we get this done now you can start tomorrow.”

Liam fills out the paperwork and gets his picture taken for his name badge. Sofia sits on the desk while Amanda goes to make it, her legs swinging in front of her.

“Don’t you have to go back to work?” Liam asks.

Sofia shrugs, “Soon, but Sammy can handle it. She loves working with the kids.”

“Sammy says if you don’t come back she’s going to make you do all the clean up by yourself,” Amanda says, appearing in the doorway with Liam’s name badge.

“She what?” Sofia shouts, jumping to her feet, “She can’t do that!”

“She can,” Amanda tells her, “You already took your break and you just left her there.”

“I was bringing you a potential employee!” Sofia says, giving Amanda an offended look, “I was doing a good thing.”

“Yes, you did,” Amanda says, “but you could have left and gone back to work after you brought Liam.”

“I didn’t want him to get lost,” Sofia says.

Amanda snorts, “If you says so. Just get back there. We both know Sammy is being serious.”

Sofia’s eyes widen and then she takes off out the door, her loud footsteps sounding down the hall. Then they stop and start coming back towards them. She peeks her head in, giving Liam a wide smile, “It was nice meeting you Liam. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Then she’s gone, leaving Liam alone with Amanda. Amanda hands him his name badge. “You can come in at 9. You’ll just be training for now, and I’ll be the one training you.”

Liam has to admit he’s a little relieved. He has no doubt working with Sofia would be fun but he doesn't know how training under her would be.  The one word he can think of is chaos. Fun chaos, sure, but he’d rather have his footing before getting thrown into it.

“Do you know what I’ll be doing?” Liam asks.

“Not yet,” Amanda says, “I figured we’d test you in different areas and then see where you fit best. Did any areas stand out to you?”

Liam tries to think about what area he’d been most drawn to. It’s not hard to come to a decision. “I really liked the Pterosaurs exhibit.”

“Of course you did,” Amanda says, “you look like you’re into that sort of thing.”

Liam isn’t sure how to take that, but he supposes it has to be a good thing. Amanda leans back against the wall and studies his face. Her next words making his breath catch in his throat, “So what are you running from?”

“What?” Liam says, “I’m not running from anything. Why would you say that?”

“We don’t get many out of towners that actually want to stay and work here,” Amanda tells him, “the ones we do have were trying to get away from something. So what is it?”

“I…” Liam stops. He’s not sure what to say. He’s not running from something, not really. “Nothing. Honest. I was just… trying to find a way to be happy and I couldn’t do that back home. As much as I wish I could. I need to be better for… for myself.”

Amanda gives him a knowing smile and he’s not sure what to make of it, “Sure kid. It’s only for yourself. And whoever it is that made you get that soft look in your eyes whenever you thought of home.”

Liam can’t deny that she’s right, “Maybe it’s for him,” he whispers, “but it is for me too.”

Liam leaves shortly after that. He drives back to Derek’s feeling a little better about things. He has a place to stay and now a new job, and he’s finally feeling a lot of the tension start to leave him. This place is good for him.

Derek is home when he gets there, sitting on the couch with glasses perched on his eyes and a paper in his hand. He looks up when Liam walks in, not so subtly sniffing the air. “You seem happy,” he comments.

“I am,” Liam says, flopping down next to Derek on the couch, “I got a job.”

“A job?” Derek asks, putting the paper aside, “Where at?”

“At ScienceWorks,” Liam tells him, “I got to talking to some of the employees while I was there and left with a job.”

“Let me guess,” Derek says, “Sofia got to you.”

“You know Sofia?” Liam asks, then shakes his head. “Of course you do. Small town, right.”

“She frequents the diner I got to,” Derek says, “She really has a thing for Colby’s pies.”

“Who doesn’t?” Liam asks, remembering the first time he took a bite of the warm apple pie Colby had made. She owns the diner but still cooks the pies, saying they’re her special thing. After tasting them Liam can understand why.

“Idiots,” Derek says, lips twitching up into a smile, “Stiles loves them too. He insists on going there whenever he visits.”

“Is he going to be stopping by soon?” Liam asks him, he knows how much Derek has been missing Stiles.

Stiles showed up shortly before the full moon. He had chains and a grim look on his face. Liam hadn’t even had to ask what the chains were for, it was obvious. Derek had assured Stiles they wouldn’t be necessary, that Liam would be fine without them.

Liam had insisted though. He knew how bad his temper could be on a good day and didn’t want to risk losing control on the full moon and hurting someone. The night had been hell. He’d spent it chained up in the basement, all but scratching at the walls and longing for Theo. He wanted to see his face, hear his voice, smell him. Liam knows now that if he hadn’t been chained up that night he probably would have driven the 3 hours back to Beacon Hills and to Theo.

Liam had spent the next day moping in bed, scrolling through his phone and looking at all the pictures and videos he had of Theo. Then he’d wound up on social media, hoping to see any updates, but Theo had been mostly silent on there since Liam left.

His last post on Instagram was a picture of him and Liam a few days before Liam left. Liam was sitting on his lap, his arms around Theo’s waist and his head tucked against his neck. They were both wearing matching grins. That had been one of Liam’s few good days, when he was able to just be happy. He wishes he was able to get more of those. He’s working towards it now. He knows that. Sure, there are still bad days where he barely wants to move but he’s had a lot more good days. This place really has been good for him.

Liam looks up when he feels a hand on his shoulder to see Derek looking at him, face drawn in concern, “Are you alright?”

Liam nods, “Yeah, sorry. I guess I just got lost in thought. What were you saying?”

Derek gives him a knowing look, scooting a little closer to Liam until they’re touching from shoulder to knee. Liam appreciates the gesture. He’d gotten so used to having almost constant contact that it’s been hard without it.

“Stiles is busy at Quantico but he should have a break soon,” Derek tells him, “he’ll probably come visit then.”

Liam nods, “Yeah. That’ll be good for you two. I know you miss him. You can just tell me when and I can get out of your hair.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Liam,” Derek says, “We’re not going to chase you out. You live here too.”

“Okay but I’ll at least give you a night,” Liam says, “We both know you’ll need it. And it’ll be for the sake of my own senses that I make myself scarce.”

Derek grins, eyes going distant, “Probably so. Stiles can be loud.”

“I didn’t need to know that,” Liam mutters.

Derek snorts, “From what I’ve heard you know plenty about being loud yourself.”

Liam pales, “Excuse me? What? I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’ve been perfectly quiet!”

Derek tilts his head, “I was talking about Theo telling me all the times he heard you masturbating and what he knows from experience but I’m glad to know you’re at least finding time to take care of yourself. It’s healthy.”

“Oh my god,” Liam whispers, “No. We’re not having this conversation.”

He gets to his feet, flipping Derek off as he leaves the room, Derek’s laughter following him down the hall. Living with Derek is certainly a lot more interesting than he ever thought it would be.

***

Working at the ScienceWorks Museum is fun. He trains in all the different areas, learning the ropes and how things work as he goes. Liam still finds himself drawn to the Pterosaurs exhibit. He knows it’s one of the more popular ones though so he’s not expecting to wind up there, at least not right away. Which is why it’s surprising when Amanda comes to him two weeks into the job and at the end of his training and tells him they’re putting him in the Pterosaurs exhibit.

“Really?” Liam asks.

“Really,” Amanda says, “You seemed the most in your element there and I think you’ll be a good fit. You’ll be working under Manon. She’ll show you the ropes. Though I think you have a pretty good understanding of what to do.”

Liam nods, “Yeah I do. Thanks Amanda. I won’t let you down.”

Amanda pats him on the shoulder, “I know you won’t. Now get in there. Manon’s going to need help setting up for the tour.”

Liam makes his way to the big room where the Pterosaurs exhibit is. He doesn’t think he’ll ever not be amazed by it all. There are various Pterosaurs on the ceiling while part of the room is set up to serve as a tour of where the ancient Pterosaurs once lived. That’s Liam’s favorite. He loves going on the tour and seeing all the kids faces light up as they hear all about the Pterosaurs.

“I think you always look as excited as the kids do,” Manon says, walking up to him. “Maybe more.”

“What can I say? I love history. Even if this is more ancient animals than the ancient civilizations I’m usually into.”

“Pterosaurs lived in ancient civilizations of their own if you think about it,” Mason tells him.

“True,” Liam says, smiling over at her, “So where do you need me?”

“I figured you could help me on the tour,” Manon says, “We can have you field some questions if you think you’re up for it. If you do well then maybe you can start giving the tours yourself.”

“Really?” Liam asks, unable to hide his excitement, “You’d let me do that?”

“Sure,” Manon says with a shrug, “You certainly know your stuff. More than some of the staff that has worked here for months.”

“I just find it interesting,” Liam says.

“And it shows. Keep it up and you’ll be giving tours in no time.”

Liam smiles and thanks her. This whole thing is working out better than he ever could have expected.

***

A month later Liam is still working at ScienceWorks and in the Pterosaurs exhibit. He got promoted a couple weeks ago and is now able to give tours. He loves it. He loves watching the kids faces light up as he talks about the flying reptiles. Sure, there are some kids who look like they’d rather be anywhere else but more often than not he finds a few that actually enjoy learning about Pterosaurs. He does his best to give them extra details about the creatures. They always seem to appreciate it, peppering him with questions. Sometimes he doesn’t have the answers but he makes sure to either ask Manon or look it up himself so he can tell the kids what they want to know.

Right now he’s giving a tour to a group of 10 kids and their parents. Today is about a half and half day, with half of the kids looking bored while the other half looks interested. He makes sure he’s animated and excited as he talks, if only for those few kids.

“So you see Pterodactyls are not scientifically flying dinosaurs, but simply Pterosaurs, which are flying reptiles. They lived between the late Triassic period and the late Cretaceous period, and were actually the first flying vertebrae. Can anyone tell me what that means?” Liam asks, looking around at the group gathered in front of him.

“It means they were animals with backbones,” an all too familiar voice says from Liam’s right.

Liam’s head snaps in the direction, sure he had to have heard wrong. But he hadn’t. There standing in front of him is Theo Raeken. He has on Liam’s favorite pink hoodie with his hands tucked into its pockets and he’s smiling nervously over at Liam. All Liam can do is stare.

“Is he right?” One of the kids asks.

“Yeah,” Liam says and clears his throat. He knows he needs to pay attention to the group but he can’t take his eyes off of Theo. He’s almost afraid to. Afraid that if he does Theo will be gone when he looks back. “He’s right. They’re the first flying animals with backbones.”

“Cool,” another one of the kids says.

“It is,” Liam says, reluctantly looking away and smiling at the kids and parents, “Manon will be more than happy to tell you all about Pterosaurs. She’s been working here longer than I have and is a wealth of knowledge.”

“Okay!” The kids say, some grabbing their parent’s hands and dragging them towards the front of the room where Manon waits. Others walk more slowly away, looking between Liam and Theo curiously.

“Your boyfriend is cute,” one of the boys whispers to Liam.

Liam hears Theo cough and can’t help but smile down at the kid, “He is, isn’t he?”

The kid nods, giving Liam and Theo one last look before running off to meet his parents. Liam turns his gaze back to Theo, finding the other man already watching him. “Boyfriend huh?”

Liam feels his heart drop. He hadn’t even thought when the boy had called Theo his boyfriend. At least not enough to correct him. “Sorry,” Liam mutters, “I just thought… Of course I shouldn’t have expected…”

Liam makes a frustrated noise when the words don’t come out like he wants them to. Theo takes a hesitant step closer to him, “Liam it’s okay. We didn’t break up. At least I didn’t think we did…”

“We didn’t!” Liam says quickly, “At least I was hoping we didn’t. That’s not what I wanted anyway. But I can understand if you want to. I did just leave you.”

“I don’t want to break up,” Theo says, stopping in front of Liam, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t still want to be with you. And I’m sorry. I know you left because you needed time and I’m just here messing it all up. I just missed you so much. When Derek caved and told me you were here and so close I couldn’t help myself. I needed to at least see you. I’d planned to keep my distance until you were ready but then I heard you talking to the kids and you looked so cute. I just had to talk to you.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Liam says, “I missed you too Theo. So much. You have no idea how many times I wanted to call you just so that I could hear your voice. But I could never bring myself to do it. It never seemed fair to you.”

“Do you regret leaving?” Theo asks, eyeing Liam carefully.

Liam hates the look. He wants Theo to look at him like he trusts him, with the love and adoration he used to. He also knows that’s not fair. He was the one that left. He can’t blame Theo for being a little wary of him now.

“No,” Liam says, deciding it’s best to be honest. Even if Theo couldn’t hear if he lied he knows if he wants to have any hope of fixing this he needs to be as open as possible, “I don’t regret leaving. Being away helped. But I do regret having to leave you, and hurting you. I never wanted that Theo. I love you. Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ll probably ever have to do.”

“So was letting you go,” Theo whispers, “I knew you would have stayed if I would have asked but I couldn’t do that to you, because I knew you needed to go. But it killed me. I spent so many nights wondering where you were and if you were safe. Then when I finally heard from you and had Jenna telling me you were alright it was such a relief. I still missed you like crazy but I knew you were alright.”

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Liam says, “I turned my phone off in case anyone tried to find me, which Stiles wound up doing.”

“Yeah I know Stiles found you,” Theo says, ducking his head a bit, “I may have begged him to when I couldn’t get ahold of you. Just to know you were somewhere safe. He wouldn’t tell me where you were but I didn’t ask. It was just enough knowing you were okay.”

“God I don’t deserve you,” Liam breathes, letting out a wet laugh when Theo gives him a disbelieving look, “I don’t. I’ve been so selfish these past few months and yet here you are being so amazing and understanding about the whole thing. At my work, when I’m wearing this hideous khakis.”

“I think you look great,” Theo murmurs, hesitantly raising a hand to Liam’s cheek, “You’d look great in anything Liam.”

“We both know that’s a lie,” Liam says, his hands moving to rest on Theo’s hips. Part of him still can’t believe Theo is really standing here with him. That he’s actually touching Theo, smelling him, getting to hear his voice.

“You’ll always look good to me Liam.”

“Just kiss him already,” Liam hears Sofia groan.

He looks over to see Sofia standing there along with Amanda, Sammy, Manon, and even Derek and Stiles. Derek at least looks a little sheepish about the whole thing but the girls all have popcorn, which Sammy is sharing with Stiles, and are watching them with rapt attention.

“Jesus,” Liam mutters, tucking his face into Theo’s neck.

“Can you get away?” Theo asks, running a hand through Liam’s hair.

“I’m off in an hour,” Liam tells him, pulling back to look at him.

“I’ll be waiting,” Theo smiles and places a kiss to his forehead before pulling back.

“Nonsense!” Amanda says, “I can cover you. You go.”

“It’s just an hour,” Liam tells her.

“An hour too long when you have this gorgeous man standing in front of you clearly in love with you,” Amanda says, “Now get out of here. You two clearly have a lot to talk about.”

Liam looks to Theo who shrugs, “Alright. Thanks Amanda.”

“Hey Liam?” Derek says, drawing Liam’s attention to where he’s standing with Stiles, “We’re going to go out so you two are welcome to go back to the cabin if you want some time alone to talk or other things.”

“Thanks Derek, I appreciate it,” Liam gives him a grateful smile, “Good to see you Stiles.”

“Yeah you too,” Stiles calls after them as Liam starts to lead Theo away, “Maybe now that one will stop moping.”

Liam feels Theo tense next to him but he doesn’t say anything, just lets Liam lead him out the back door.

“How did you get here?” Liam asks, tossing his keys between his hands.

“Stiles drove,” Theo says, pointing to a nice black SUV, “It’s his SUV for the FBI. It seemed more reliable.”

“Stiles’ jeep got him places,” Liam says, though he can understand Theo’s reluctance.

“Yeah in the end,” Theo says, grinning over at Liam as the beta leads them towards his car, “but I didn’t want a 3 hour trip to take a day.”

“Then why didn’t you drive?”

Theo sighs and shakes his head, “Stiles wouldn’t let me. He wouldn’t tell me why. Something about wanting to be able to leave when he wanted to.”

“Stiles is weird,” Liam shrugs, though he feels his heart flip. Stiles wanting to be able to leave when he wants to and not wanting to bring Theo’s truck either means he was afraid Theo would want to leave before he was ready to or that he thought Theo might want to prolong his visit. Liam is hoping for the latter, though he knows it would be a lot to ask for.

“The cabin’s a few miles outside of town,” Liam tells him once they’re in the car and on the road.

“Yeah I know,” Theo says, “Derek told me when he found it. He said he wanted to be close to town in case he needed anything but not too close because he still wanted space. He was happy when he found the cabin.”

“Well it is a good distance away,” Liam says, “and secluded enough for someone like Derek. I like it too. It would be weird living someplace without trees nearby.”

“Yes because you enjoy running through the trees during the full moon,” Theo says, “I can only imagine how that was.”

“It was…” Liam takes a deep breath, “I had them chain me up. I wasn’t sure how I’d be.”

“Liam,” Theo murmurs, “You should have called me.”

Liam shakes his head, parking the truck and turning it off before pocketing the keys and turning to Theo, “It wouldn’t have been fair to you Theo. I left to figure shit out on my own, it would have been selfish to drag you down with me.”

“Liam I’ll always be here when you need me,” Theo says, “it’s not selfish to need someone.”

Liam wants to argue that it is since he just up and left Theo alone but he doesn’t, “We should get inside.”

He hops out of the truck, Theo following suit. He stops just inside the cabin once the door is closed and they’re both inside, suddenly unsure of where to go. He knows what he wants. What he’s aching for, but he also know it wouldn’t be fair. Theo had said they’re still together but what does that mean? He’s feeling so confused by this whole thing.

All he knows is that with Theo here it’s all the more clear that he needs him, that he’s the thing he’s been missing. He left to find his own happiness when it had been with him all along. But maybe that’s not it. Derek had said he found happiness with himself and that had left him open to letting people in and letting himself be loved and love in return. Maybe that’s where Liam’s at right now.

_Baby, take me back_   
_Let me back in your house_   
_I was angry and I was sick_   
_I was sick of talking it out_   
_Baby, take me back_   
_Let me back in your bed_   
_Is it all is it all is it all is it all_   
_In my head?_

Liam turns to face Theo to find the chimera already watching him, his face far too understanding. Liam throws himself into Theo’s arms, almost sobbing when they wrap around him and pull him close.

“It’s okay Liam,” Theo says, “It’s okay.”

“I love you,” Liam whispers, “I love you so much Theo. I’m so sorry.”

“I love you too Little Wolf,” Theo says, “and you have nothing to apologize for.”

Theo’s hands feel warm on the skin of his back as they slip under his shirt. It’s only been a few months but he’d almost forgotten what it feels like. None of his dreams could ever compare to this. The reality is much better than the dream in this case.

“Liam,” Theo murmurs, placing a kiss to Liam’s jaw, “are you still with me?”

Liam knows it’s a simple question, but he can hear the bigger meaning under Theo’s words. The question Theo is too afraid to ask.

“Always,” Liam whispers, “I’m not going anywhere without you again.”

“But I thought you liked it here?”

“I do,” Liam says, “and it’s been good for me. But I love you Theo. I want to be wherever you are.”

“I can’t ask you to leave this place Liam,” Theo says.

“Then don’t,” Liam says, “Stay, here with me.”

“Leave Beacon Hills?” Theo asks, “What about the pack? You parents?”

“We can visit,” Liam says, “and this won’t be forever. But this place has been good for me Theo. I think it could be great for us. A new chance. A fresh start. Away from everything. What do you say?”

Theo stares at Liam, his eyes moving across Liam’s face in a silent question. He must find what he’s looking for because he smiles, wrapping Liam up tightly in his arms. God Liam had missed Theo’s hugs.

“I say yes,” Theo says, lips brushing softly against the skin of Liam’s throat as he speaks, “I’ll stay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day.  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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